I'm going to be speaking to you
this morning from the book of Romans. The book of Romans. We have been going through the
book of Romans at Central Grace Church now for the third time,
verse by verse, for the third time through the book of Romans.
Romans chapter 3 verse 4 says this, Let God be true, but every
man a liar. He's not saying let God be God,
or let God be this or that, or let Him have His way. No, it's
saying, let it be known that God is true and every man a liar. Let it be settled. Let it be
declared. Let it be clearly understood
that God is true, but every man a liar. Let God be true, but
every man a liar. That's my subject. Now if someone
asked me what book to read to understand, at least in your
head, something of who God is, of what man is, of what salvation
is, the answers to the truth, I would say look at the book
of Romans. In the book of Romans, all the
truth of God, the counsel of God, all the counsel of God is
clearly written and declared. The truth. The truth is declared
in Romans. The truth of who God is. Jesus
Christ said, this is life eternal that they might know thee the
only true God. Meaning there's a false God. A God being preached and believed
by some who is not the true God. The only true God. The truth. It's found in the book of Romans
of who God is, a truth of what man is. Man, what he really is. And it clearly says in the book
of Romans that he is dead and trespasses in sin. That he is
a worthless, yea, a hell-deserving sinner, the poor God. The truth
is found in Romans, the truth of salvation. How man is saved. Salvation is of the Lord. It's His will. His choice, His
power, His work, His righteousness, His blood, His Holy Spirit in
His time for His glory that no flesh should glory in His presence. Now the book of Romans and all
the Bible for that matter clearly declares it. And the Lord through
Paul whom the Lord used to write this though it's God's Word Through
Paul, in the book of Romans, he exposes all mankind for what
he really is. Man for what he really is. Not
what men say about man, what man thinks about himself, but
what God says man really is. He exposes Jew and Gentile, he
exposes the religious and the irreligious, and lumps them all
together. In fact, in Romans 9 it says
that very thing, that God is the potter, we are the clay,
And He makes of the same lump, the same lifeless lump, one vessel
to honor and another to dishonor. That's His prerogative. It's
His will. It's His power. He's the potter with the clay.
That's what God says. Let God be true and every man
a liar. And it says in Romans 3 verse
19, He lumps us all together by saying, What the law saith,
what God's word saith, it saith to them that are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty
before God, Jew and Gentile, religious, irreligious. Let God
be true. and every man a liar, every mouth
stopped, and all guilty before God." This is what God's Word
says about mankind. It says things like this. He's
wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked, guilty, vile, Helpless? We. He's dead and trespassing
sin. The gospel. So, because of that,
the gospel is in two words. The gospel, the good news is
found here. But God. Ephesians 2, it says,
and you. And you. Speaks of man being
dead and trespassing sin. But God. The gospel in two words
is this. Of God. It's of the Lord. It's
of God. The gospel in two words is this,
in Christ. It's been found in Christ, put
in Christ, given to Christ by God, of God. The gospel in two
words is by grace, by grace. The truth in two words is this,
the truth can be declared in two words, His will, His will,
of His own will begat He us through the word of truth. His will.
The truth in two words is this, His mercy, His mercy, According
to His mercy, He saved us. The truth in two words is this.
His blood. His blood. Salvation is not being
born of blood or the will of man or the will of the flesh,
but born of God. His blood. Christ's blood. Here's
the truth in two words. His righteousness. His righteousness. Paul said, not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy, He hath saved us. Yes, it's His righteousness.
Here's the truth in two words. His Spirit. His Spirit. Born of God. Born of His Spirit.
Born of blood. Born of the Word. Here's the
truth in two words. Here's what it's all about. His
glory. His glory. Not yours. Not man's. His glory. His will. His mercy. His blood. His righteousness.
His Spirit. His Son. His glory. Not man's. It's of the Lord. Let God be
true. Romans 1, in chapter 1, the Lord
clearly shows that all the unbelieving world, the irreligious world,
who has no time for God, no thoughts of God, clearly says he's full
of unrighteousness, that he's under the wrath of God, not the
love of God. Lying preachers go out and tell
all mankind how much God loves them and needs them, and church
can't be church without you. And that's a lie. Let God be
true and every man a liar. As Scripture says, all mankind
is under the wrath of God, not the love of God. Romans 1 clearly
shows that man is under the wrath of God, the judgment of God,
Romans 1.32, the wrath of God. Verse 18 of Romans 1, not the
love of God, the wrath of God. Sinners in the hands of an angry
God. Sinners who need to repent and
bow and ask and beg for forgiveness, for mercy. Sinners who need a
sin offering. Sinners who need sin payments. Sinners who deserve wrath and
hell and judgment and death. The judgment of God. Romans 1
clearly declares that people aren't merely ignorant and innocent,
poor people, but they're without excuse. Romans, unthankful, Romans
121. Foolish, vain in their imaginations
of God, of themselves, of salvation. Darkened, Romans 121. Vainglorious,
thinking they're wise but they're fools, Romans 122. They've changed
the glory of God and taken it for themselves. Idolaters, Romans
1.23. Unclean, dishonor themselves,
change the truth of God into a lie, Romans 1.25. Giving over to vile affections,
vile affections, unnatural, Romans 1.26 and 27. Romans 1.28, they
reprobate. Void of judgment. Romans 1.29,
filled with all unrighteousness. Romans 1.30, haters of God. Oh, I don't hate God. Then let
God be true in every man and liar. Romans 1.30. In Romans
chapter 2, Romans chapter 2, he addresses religious people,
all religious people. Oh, he says they think they know
His will. They rest in the law of God and
make their boast of knowing God and know His will and are confident
they are blind leaders or teachers of the blind. Instruct them that
are in darkness when they themselves are in darkness. Romans 2.19. Instructors of the foolish, thinking
they know the law. Romans 2.20. And he says that
they're guilty just like the unbelieving world. Guilty of
the same. And they blaspheme the name of
God. Think they're religious because
of their outward show. And Romans 2.29 said, He's a
Jew which is inward. a Christian inward, not outward,
whose praise is not of men, but of God." Romans 2 verse 29. Then chapter 3, chapter 3. He clearly declares, now let
God be true and every man a liar. Chapter 3 of Romans, he says,
are we better than they? Speaking to the Jews, speaking
to the religious, speaking to those who go to church, who read
the Bible, who quit this, who quit that, who don't drink, don't
smoke, don't chew, don't wear shorty shorts, don't do things
like that. They've got a righteousness.
They're all fixed up for heaven and they're good and they quit
sinning, quit their sinning. He says in Romans 3 verse 9,
Are we better than they? In no wise, Jew, Gentile, irreligious,
religious, all under sin, as it is written, Let God be true
in every man and liar, none righteous, no, not one, none that understandeth,
none, none, none, all together become unprofitable. And it concludes
in verse 19 by saying, And what the law saith that saith to them
under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
guilty before God. Is that you? If not, then let
God be true and every man a liar. A liar. Then the Lord through
Paul brings up every argument of man, all his gainsaying, all
his backtalking against God. And he concludes with saying,
let God be true, and every man a liar, that God alone is true,
and all men are born liars. That's what God's Word said.
David said, I was shapen in iniquity, and sin did my mother conceive
me. It says, the wicked go astray from the womb, speaking lies. Man's born that way. Unless God
does something for him, he'll stay that way. God's Word is
true. His way is true. His works are
true. His judgments are true and righteous
altogether. Let God be true and every man
a liar. Now here's the truth, real plainly,
real clearly, that God's Word teaches. Everyone, anyone who
says differently, everyone who, every man or woman who teaches
or preaches or believes differently is a liar. Here's what God's
Word says, man is dead. This is the truth. Man is dead.
He's unwilling, he's unable to come to God, to believe God.
He's captive to sin, Satan, self, and the world. He has no free
will. He's bound by his evil will and nature. Captive to Satan. Unless God brings him out of
captivity, he can't bring himself out. He will not choose God.
He will choose sin. He always does, always has, and
always will. Unless God has chosen him. That's the next thing. God chose.
God elected a people before the world because they were dead.
God had to. before the world began. If He
hadn't chosen some, none would come, none would be saved. But
God chose a people before the world began and gave them to
Jesus Christ in a covenant of grace, of salvation. And Jesus
Christ came into this world to save those sinners by the sacrifice
of Himself, by living according to God's law, establishing a
righteousness for them. God imputed it to their charge
and God imputed their sins to Christ, made Him to be sin, made
Him to be their burnt offering, an offering to God, not man,
an offering to God, a sin payment, and God accepted it. Jesus Christ
died for, paid for, was punished for all the sins of all of God's
elect, and God accepted it, and their sins are gone. And then
in time, they're born. They're born into this world.
And they must be born again. They're born dead in trespass
and sin. Alright? They must be born again.
Born of His Spirit. Born of His Word. Born of His
Gospel. Given life, conviction, repentance,
faith, salvation. given life, the sovereign Spirit
of God. They're dead. God must do that.
And He does. The Holy Spirit does it. And
then they all whom God has given life, they have it forever. Eternal
life. I give unto them eternal life,
and they'll never perish. Salvations of the Lord. Man doesn't
have any part in it. Let God be true, and every man
a liar. Amen.